Samsung unveiled a new strategy to use artificial intelligence to make connected device experiences safer, more inclusive, and more energy-efficient
Samsung Electronics recently held a press conference at the 2024 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to share its vision for the future, which is to make the device experience more intuitive and convenient than ever before through artificial intelligence (AI). At the press conference, Samsung and its key partners shared how new products and services can make life easier through AI and the technology behind it.
Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Device Experience (DX) Division, Samsung Electronics, introduced in his CES keynote speech that AI is enabling connectivity technologies to improve people's daily life experiences while remaining non-intrusive and "running in the background". Samsung Electronics is focused on bringing users a simple and useful connected experience through AI. At the launch event, Samsung showcased a range of products and services that help achieve this goal.
With the advent of AI, smarter, better experiences will redefine the way we live. "Samsung's rich and powerful device portfolio and its commitment to open collaboration will help bring AI and hyper-connectivity to everyone." ”
AI empowers visual display products and digital home appliances to bring new experiences to home life
At the press conference, Jonathan Gabrio, head of the Connected Experience Center at Samsung Electronics America, said that AI is changing the way visual display products and digital home appliances are used. For example, Samsung's Neo QLED 8K QN900D has an AI chip built into the NQ8 AI Gen 3, which has a neural processing unit (NPU) twice as fast as its predecessor and an eight-fold increase in the number of neural networks. Thanks to the chip, the TV automatically upscales low-resolution content to nearly 8K levels and sharpens fast-moving images with AI Dynamic Enhancement. Samsung's Neo QLED 8K is also equipped with Smart Sound**A Pro technology, which optimizes the TV listening experience by analyzing voice and background noise through AI, making users feel like they're in a stadium or movie theater even at home.
For audiences with different needs, Samsung also innovates to provide accessibility features. Samsung's Neo QLED sign language feature makes it easy for the hearing-impaired to control the TV with gestures, while the audio subtitles feature converts text subtitles into speech in real time**.
In addition, Samsung has unveiled the new The Premiere 8K projector. Not only does it have a 150-inch projection screen, but it's also the world's first 8K projector to offer wireless connectivity. With The Premiere 8K, users can enjoy an all-encompassing cinematic experience at home.
In terms of sound, Samsung has introduced Music Frame, a customizable speaker that blends harmoniously into the home. With Q-Symphony, Music Frame can be paired with Samsung TVs and speakers to enhance bass and surround sound.
Samsung also made a major upgrade to the rolling AI robot Ballie, which debuted at CES 2020. Now, it's evolved into an AI companion for users, able to interact with other smart devices to provide customized services such as handling tedious tasks or projecting images**, so users can view key information from their daily lives, such as the weather or other relevant content, anytime, anywhere.
To elevate the kitchen and food experience, Samsung has launched the Bespoke 4-Door Flex refrigerator with AI Family Hub +. The refrigerator has a 32-inch screen and features an AI Vision Inside feature that allows the refrigerator to identify up to 33 different food items by using the internal camera and recommend recipes for the ingredients. Users can also set up "Use by Date" for food on the Bespoke 4-Door Flex refrigerator with the AI Family Hub screen, which allows the refrigerator to notify when the set date is approaching. These AI features can reduce food waste, which can lead to savings and a greener lifestyle. The AnyPlace induction cooktop series goes a step further in terms of AI connectivity, as recipes saved on Samsung Food can be shared to the cooktop's 7-inch display for easy cooking.
Samsung's AI technology also extends to home appliances beyond the kitchen. The all-new Bespoke AI Laundry Combo is an all-in-one washer and dryer that is not only equipped with an AI hub, but also has a 7-inch LCD display that acts as an intuitive control center for managing laundry, giving users a simple wash and dry experience. It preserves the user's habits and uses machine learning to suggest laundry cycles for personalized washing and drying. At the same time, Samsung will soon launch Bespoke Jet Bot Combo, an all-in-one robot that combines vacuuming and mopping functions, which uses AI technology to provide a more convenient and effective cleaning experience. Compared to previous robot cleaners, its AI object recognition technology has been upgraded to be able to distinguish more objects and also detect stains and spaces. In addition, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo recognises the type of floor and the length of the carpet that needs to be cleaned and adjusts the settings accordingly.
Better connect users and devices with spatial intelligence
Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics and Team Leader of Samsung Smart Home, highlighted how AI technology is impacting the relationship between users and their devices in exciting new ways, including Samsung's vision for the future of Samsung Smart Home, where the more Samsung devices users use, the smarter they become, and the better they understand and support their daily lives.
Spatial AI is key to realizing this vision, helping devices understand the user's living space and schedule, leading to a more personalized home management experience. Samsung Smart Home leverages LiDAR on connected devices such as robot vacuum cleaners to create a digital floor plan so that users can easily see the status and location of all devices. And in March this year, Samsung Smart Home will launch an upgraded 3D map view on Samsung smartphones and TVs to provide users with a more intimate experience. In addition, users can also add family and friends to their ecosystem through a simple *** so that each family member can create their own schedule.
Using smart sensors and AI, Samsung Smart Home can detect anomalies such as falls and send alerts to designated family members and caregivers. With the Galaxy SmartTag2, users can also attach tags to collars or harnesses to track their pet's movements and store their identities digitally.
Executive Vice President Jung also discussed how the Bixby voice assistant can make the smart home more dynamic by augmenting AI. Bixby can automatically send commands to the most appropriate device based on knowledge of the user's location and activity. Key technologies such as multi-device wake-up, combined with shared communication protocols, enable Bixby to listen to commands using all the devices in the room, but ultimately only perform the requested actions on the most relevant devices. So when a user is on a recipe on the Family Hub in the kitchen, they can call, "Hey, Bixby! At this point, the user's smart speaker will *** but the recipes on the Family Hub will not be paused either.
With Samsung's daily+ service, TVs will gradually become the central hub of smart home features, while also allowing users to access a variety of additional services. These services include calls** via Connectime, as well as sports data projection, which allows you to transfer workout data to Samsung's smartwatch. Samsung has also released a new Samsung Now+ service, which allows TVs to display useful information related to the user's home without having to turn it on, such as the weather or real-time security cameras from the home security system. Like Samsung Smart Home, users can also access this information through voice commands.
Bring your home closer to your car with a home-to-car feature
Samsung also announced its development in the automotive industry, starting with a partnership with Hyundai Motor Group. Users will be able to use the "Home to Car" and "Car to Home" services provided by Samsung Smart Home. Haeyoung Kwon, head of Hyundai Motor Group's infotainment development center and SDV executive division, spoke about the partnership.
Using Hyundai Motor Group's software-defined vehicles, Samsung Smart Home can work with Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles through apps. "All of us at Hyundai Motor Group are very grateful for our partnership with Samsung, and we are excited to bring new features to your vehicles through smarter connectivity." ”
With Samsung Smart Home, users can remotely direct the car with voice commands, such as heating or opening and closing windows in advance. In addition, the connectivity of Samsung Smart Home can also be reversed, allowing users to control home functions from their cars. Not only can users automatically open and close the garage door based on the car's location, but they can also adjust the temperature inside the home. All operations can be done with voice commands.
In addition, Samsung has further deepened its long-standing relationship with Harman to enhance the driving experience. Michelle Gattuso, vice president of product management at HARMAN Corporation, discusses how the two companies are developing new technologies to enhance the driving experience.
Samsung's advanced position in consumer technology, combined with HARMAN's automotive expertise, opens the door to disruptive experiences like HARMAN Ready Care, Ready Vision and Ready Display. "Now, we're working even closer with Samsung, which is working together to bring more impactful experiences to the entire in-car ecosystem." ”
HARMAN's Ready Care focuses on driver safety, using deep learning neural network technology to monitor driver movement and cognitive alertness and provide personalized reminders and warnings. In addition, Ready Care can now recognise whether a passenger is a child and adjust the airbag deployment settings accordingly.
What's more, Ready Vision uses augmented reality to provide an intuitive display on the windshield in front of the driver's line of sight exactly when they need it. For example, drivers can access a map that updates in real time based on the route, while also providing suggestions for the fastest route or guidance for stopping for coffee at **. Another HARMAN product, Ready Upgrade, allows automakers to frequently update their vehicles' hardware and software. This keeps the vehicle practical, modern and efficient for longer.
Samsung pays attention to the security and privacy protection of all devices
In an AI-driven, deeply connected future, Samsung recognizes that security and privacy are paramount. Shin Baik, from the Mobile Experience Security team, discusses the company's security solutions as a cornerstone of the hyper-connected era.
Samsung Knox Matrix is one such solution that offers end-to-end encryption for Samsung Galaxy smartphones and smart TVs. This technology allows devices to monitor each other to identify and isolate security threats. Knox Vault, which helps keep user data safe on some of Samsung's most popular devices, has now been extended to more devices connected through Samsung Smart Home, such as the Samsung Neo QLED 8K TV. In addition, Samsung's partnerships with major technology companies allow users to experience security and privacy protection based on their specific needs.
Samsung has made great strides in eco-friendly materials, energy management, and accessibility
Inhee Chung, Vice President of Samsung's Corporate Sustainability Center, highlighted Samsung's circular economy initiative. As part of these initiatives, Samsung is increasingly using acrylic materials in its products — including aluminium from discarded fishing nets used in Galaxy devices, aluminium used in TVs, and bespoke refrigerators. In addition, the company's Certified Renewed program (launched in the U.S. and select European countries) offers** reasonably refurbished phones, while Galaxy Upcycling allows consumers to reuse or repurpose their old phones in creative ways. The company also plans to scale up** and upcycling.
As for how the technology can promote sustainability, the company brings SmartThings AI Energy Mode to improve the energy efficiency of its products through AI technology. This mode automatically optimizes energy usage and helps users save electricity. These features prove once again that AI technology can not only make life easier, but also enable consumers to live in a more environmentally and economically responsible way.
Thanks to a new collaboration with Tesla, SmartThings Energy has become even more useful both inside and outside the home. The partnership integrates SmartThings Energy with Tesla products, including electric vehicles (EVS), PowerWall home batteries, solar inverters, and Wall Connector EV charging solutions. Another benefit is that SmartThings Energy users can take advantage of the Tesla app's PowerWall "Storm Watch" feature to alert them to extreme weather conditions through Samsung Smart Home on the Tesla app and on users' connected Samsung TVs and phones. Samsung Smart Home can also help users activate AI Energy Mode, which extends the use of backup energy stored in Tesla's PowerWall in case of power outages.
Samsung is adding new features to improve the accessibility of the device, such as digital appliances that respond to hands-free gestures. In addition, mobile devices provide auto-generated captions during calls, while TVs and displays offer a new, AI-enabled text-to-speech feature that converts subtitles into spoken audio. In order to further help people with low vision, Samsung TVs have launched a new**mode-reluminocommon mode, which allows users of all visual levels to be together with or without visual adjustments**TV, and everyone can enjoy home entertainment together.